Indicator.



c. A. HALL.

INDICATOR. y APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7| 1917.

Patented Jan. 14,1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l C. A. HALL.

INDICATOR.

APPLICAHON .man Nov. 1911.

Putcntd Jan. 14, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CLYDE A. HALL, OF CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919 Application filed November 7, 1917. Serial No. 200,791.

Y To all w/wm. t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDn A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canonsburg, in the county of lVashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indicators or signals and is intended more particularlyv for use in darkened auditoriums to permit an usher to notify an attendant or spectator at the hack of the roomhow many vacant seats may be found in the`row from which he is signaling. The invention seeks to provide a device for the stated purpose which is simple in construction and easily operated, and when in use will cut-ofi' 'from the spectators at the rear of the room'all the indicating characters except the one denoting the number of .vacant seats which ma)T be had.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying dra-wings and will be hereinafter iirst fully described and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure l1 is a perspective view of my iniproved indicator or signal showing it arranged for use;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the saine;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the indicator;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view looking at. the under side of the indicator and having the shutters removed.`

The indicator is intended for use in connection with a flash light 1 which may be of any well-known construction. The device comprises a housing which will preferably' be rectangular and will comprise a base or bottom plate 2 from which a collar 3 depends centrally, said collar being adapted to tit upon the flash light casing and be secured thereto in any desired manner. In the present drawings, I have illustrated a set screw I mounted in the collar 3 and adapted to be turned home against the end if the flash light casing so as to secure the housing in position, but any other preferred securing means may be employed. As shown clearly in Fig. 5 and as previously intimated. the base plate 2 is rectangular, and from each side or edge of said plate a wall 5 rises while a top plate 6 is secured to or formed integral With the upper edges of said side walls. Flanges 7 are provided at the corners of the side walls and these flanges will project from the respective side walls at right angles .thereto so as to serve as shutters or screens such character as to form Arabic numerals.

It will be readily understood, of course, that the slot or opening in each side wall is of a different shape from all the others and from the top plate so that if the indicator be prope'rly turned and held by the usherthe character turned toward the rear of the room will denote the number of vacant seats at the ushers disposal. In order to preventl the character in the side wall diametrically opposite the wall which is turned toward the spectators showing through and confusing the reading, I provide a partition 9 within the housing which extends diagonally across the same and will thereby effectively prevent the numerals on the opposite walls being confused, it being understood that this partition will be of metal or some other opaque material. In order to reduce the weight of the device, I cut away the edges of the partition, as indicated at 10, and the openings will provide passages through which the light may reach the entire interior of the housing without, however, directly illuminatin the opposite walls in such manner that t ey can be. confused.

The construction thus far described will be found practical and etlicient but in order-.-

to enhance the utility of the device and positively prevent confusion in the readingof the display characters, I provide upon each side of the housing a-shutter 11 which is adapted to extend over the indicating slot formed in the side wall. These shutters are respectively secured to the housing by hinges 12 at their lower edges and upon each shutter is a lug 13 to which the upper endof ,a push bar 11 is pivoted, said push bar being slidably mounted in lugs 15 and 16', secured respectively upon the collar 3 and upon the casing of the Hash light, and the lower end of the push bar being turned lateralh7 to form. a thumb-piece or handle 17 by which it may be manipulated. The push bar is held normally projected toward the housing and the shutter closed by a spring 18.,- coiled aronnd the bar between the lower bracket 16 and a stop 19 of any preferred form. upon to permit lateral play and. shut oil' so that no `light may pass through the same and consequently it cannot be viewed.V In order that the usher may 'accurately and, readily determine When the proper character is-in the position to be displayed to the observers, I provide in the side Walls, adjacentthe upper edge thereof, pin

holes 2l which correspond in number to the' character lwhich is readable through the side Wall in Which the said holes are formed. The flash light is, of course, visible through these pin holes to the usher but cannot be seen by the spectators and the fore enabled to accurately determine when downwardly against the light has been turned4 seas to bring the proper character into the desired position. After the desired character has been brought into the properposition, the usher will press the projection or thumb-piece? 17 against the tension of the spring 18 and Willthereby cause the shutter to swing to open position and permit the light topass through the character formed in the side wall which is turned toward the :spectators and make said character visible.

vF rom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided an lexceedinglv simple device which may he the open! will be eiiectively covered usher is thereintenses manufactured at a very lowcost and Which Will be found highly efhcient for the purpose for which it is designed. The device .may be readily applied to or removed from any Well-known form of flashlight and Will be visible from any part of the auditorium and 'When-properly manipulated Will permit the persons standing at the back of a theater to note the number of vacant seats Without' being confused by rays of light from those portions of' the device which are turned from the spectators. l

Having thus described the invention, What Vis claimed as new is:

l. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a housing adapted to be lit-ted upon an illuminating device and provided in its side walls With indicia to be made visible by said illuminatingv device and further proe vided in said side Walls with constantly visible indicators denotingthe character of the rst--mentioned indicia,v shutters mounted upon said side Walls adapted to cover said indicia, and means for moving the shutters to uncover the indicia.

2. The combination with a flash light, of a housing adapted to be fitted thereto and provided with indicia in its side walls visible when illuminated, shutters inuited upon said side Walls and arranged to cover said indicia, guides upon the housing and the liash light, push bars slidahly mounted in said guides and pivotally connected to the shutters, and yieldable means acting upon the push bars to hold the in closed position. w

in testimony whereof l aflix my slgnature.

carne a.. HALL. [1.8.]

shutters normally 

